I’ve addressed the subject of statins in the elderly before. On March 20th of this year, I published an article titled “Statins After Age 80.” In it, I shared my reasons for continuing statins beyond age 80. A lot of physicians struggle with keeping patients on therapy to lower cholesterol because they worry about adverse effects statins are blamed for causing. I say these adverse effects are over-emphasized and less of a concern than the public is led to believe. The benefits of statin therapy far outweigh the adverse effects we hear about all the time.
Several committees that make preventive care recommendations, especially the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) say “for adults aged 75 and older with no existing heart disease, there is insufficient evidence to recommend statin therapy.” I strongly disagree with that position because you’re 80+ years old, you’ve been on a statin for 20 years, you’ve had no adverse effects from the statin, and you have no obvious evidence of cardiovascular disease. Why would you stop the drug that has kept you from having a heart attack? I wouldn’t. It’s somewhat analogous to stopping your BP meds because you’re 80, your BP is normal, and you haven’t had a stroke. The meds are controlling your BP and preventing a stroke.
To investigate this dilemma, a group of French investigators studied 1160 patients whose average age was about 80, none of whom had known heart disease, and all of whom had been on a statin for many years. In the study, half of the patients stopped statin therapy and half continued statin therapy. After three years of observation, the two groups were compared, and the following observations and conclusions were reached:
After 3 years, the two groups looked very similar.
Adults who stopped statins were NO MORE likely to die over the 3 years than those who
kept taking a statin.
Stopping a statin DID NOT improve how people felt. People were expected to feel better after
stopping statin therapy, but that was not the case. Their quality of life, physical and mental
functioning, and other symptoms remained the same as patients who stayed on a statin.
Of those who stopped statin, 35 of 484 participants, or 7.2% died
Of those who continued statin, 48 of 604 participants, or 7.9% died
This difference was not significant enough to conclude patients should change statin use
LDL-C (the bad cholesterol) rose about 50% in those who stopped statin.
It rose from 115 to 171 over 3 years. That is a significant change.
Heart attacks were more common in those who stopped statins. Those who stopped, 2.1%
(11 of 484) had a heart attack vs. 1.4% (9 of 604) in those who continued statin therapy.
Major cardiovascular events—statin group 4.4%, non-statin group 5.0%
LDL-Cholesterol is lowered by statins. A low LDL-C slows the formation and build up of arteriosclerotic plaques. Preventing plaque build up reduces the chance of a plaque causing a heart attack or stroke. This benefit takes years to realize, but long term statin therapy has a favorable effect on outcomes. Co-morbidities and lifestyle habits are important factors to consider, too.
The Take Home Message here: Age alone should not be used to decide whether preventive therapies should be continued or discontinued. Stopping a treatment proven to be effective makes absolutely no sense. Older adults are at risk of undertreatment with evidence-based cardiovascular therapies. This study supports the idea that preventive treatment is important to continue regardless of age.
References: Miller CM, “Can You Stop Taking Statins After Age 75?” The Epoch Times Sample Edition; 2026November;B3.
Nanna M, Rastagou P, Nezhed SA, “Statin discontinuation in older adults: changing the conversation, not the default. Lancet Healthy Longevity 2026 July;7:100888.
